Fucking thieves

[Tobin S.]

First of all, let me say that the guy I'm about to tell you about did something wrong, but the price he's probably going to pay is worse I think.

I'm a trucker and every night I run up the road a little ways and swap trailers with another driver. I have a load that I give to him and he gives me an empty trailer. Sometimes, instead of heading back to the company's yard out that way, he will take the truck home with him when he is finished with his route. He is not supposed to do that- it's against company policy.

When he took the truck home he would drop the trailer on the side of the road in a nearby industrial area. Unfortunately for him, he did not put a kingpin lock on the trailer. A kingpin lock fits over the part of the trailer that the fifth wheel on the truck latches onto so you can haul the trailer. It works by not allowing the jaws of the fifth wheel to close completely around the kingpin. Anyway, the damn trailer appears to have been stolen. He said he called all the towing companies around there to see if the trailer had been towed. No dice.

He is probably going to lose his job. He has at least two children- I've seen their car seats in the back of his car. If they fire him he's going to be hard pressed to find another job right now especially when a potential employer finds out why he got fired. When he does find something it will likely not pay near what he is making now.

Yeah, he did the wrong thing. One reason I could never be in management is for situations just like this. It would kill me to have to fire this guy.

[Blue_Tires]

1. tough luck for him...

why didn't he put the lock on? did he forget? or did he think he was in a safe enough area?

[Tobin S.]

2. I don't know

I guess he thought was safe enough. I used to drop my trailer in a local truck stop when I came off the road for home time, with permission from the management. I always used a lock, loaded or empty. I've heard too many horror stories.

[Blue Diadem]

3. He should have known better.

I hate to seem him get fired too but he should know it's never safe to leave an unsecured trailer like that.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

4. That was several bad decisions and an opportunity for a

dishonest person to take advantage of a situation. I hate it for this guy. I hope they find the trailer.

[Tobin S.]

5. UPDATE: Just got a call from the boss

He got fired. Just got a call from my boss telling about what's going to happen tonight. Poor guy. I hope he finds something else quickly. It also makes me think about how things could change really quickly for me, too, if I'm not careful. They expect drivers to be perfect in trucking. Well, it's an imperfect world.

[auntAgonist]

8. What a shame Tobin.

Unfortunately the driver didn't follow policy and it cost him dearly. I WISH they would have suspended him for a bit. A few days off might have been sufficient give the job climate. If he had a good / clean record thus far, it's what I would have done as an employer. I'm sure the insurance company had something to say about it too.

I hope he is able to find a good job.

aA
kesha

[MissHoneychurch]

6. Very stupid on his side

I am sorry he lost his job but he was responsible for the truck.

[Rosie1223]

7. Truck Drivers are stil in demand in my area

I hope he learned his hard lesson and finds another job.

[Dogtown]

9. That's a shame, Tobin S.

Stay safe out there, budaroo.